Victory is sweet, even on the small scale

Published Jul 3, 2013 at 4:56 am
(Updated Jun 28, 2013 at 11:03 am)

On June 26, same-sex couples across the country finally got a much-needed victory from the United States Supreme Court. In a 5-4 vote, the court struck down Section 3 of the antiquated 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denied benefits to same-sex married couples. Up until that point, the federal government viewed marriage as a union between only a man and woman when it came to federal benefits. Now, these couples will have the same benefits as other married couples – tax, health, pension, et cetera – in states that allow same-sex marriage.

In another 5-4 vote, the court dismissed the appeal on California’s Proposition 8, thereby allowing same-sex marriages to resume in the highly populated state, bringing the number of states that allow and recognize same-sex marriages to 13, in addition to the District of Columbia.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is still behind the times on the issue – much like it is on myriad other issues.

We realize that victories such as affording same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide is a slow process, much like ending segregation was. It is our hope that just as the government came to its senses then, that its members do now, too.

We live in an era where celebrities have marriages that last mere days, where those same celebrities give birth to another man’s child just weeks after finalizing a divorce, and where all of this plays out on television for the world to see and the celeb to profit – and that’s just the Kim Kardashian example.

We live in an era where people can get married and divorced and married and divorced as many times as they choose – so long as those two are a man and a woman.

We live in an era where ridiculous religious zealots strike out against same-sex couples because “the bible says it’s wrong,” while forgetting that the bible also condemns divorce.

We live in an era where children are brought into this world unwanted, and as a result, their parents either treat them as such or are so irresponsible, uninterested, incapable and/or negligent that the children are doomed to repeat the cycle. Yet, it is a fight for a loving, stable, secure same-sex couple to adopt a child.

There’s something very, very wrong with the above examples, and thankfully, our country is slowly but surely working towards ensuring that we all really are treated as equals, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

So, lets keep fighting for the basic freedom to marry who we chose, because one day, we want to look back on 2013 and comment on how ridiculous it was that it was only permitted in 13 states.